brisbanetimes.com.au sports editor

Return likely: Cooper Cronk is a good chance of returning for the final match of the Origin series. Photo: Getty Images

Queensland had to wait for one halfback prior to game two. Now they will sweat on another as Cooper Cronk makes an audacious bid to come back in time to help save the Maroons from a demoralising clean sweep in Origin III in Brisbane.

The Melbourne playmaker broke his arm in the early minutes of Origin I at Suncorp Stadium and hasn't been seen for his club or state since.

But he stands to make a dramatic re-entry after a call to coach Mal Meninga on Sunday afternoon, in which he suggested he would beat the clock and be able to take the field on Wednesday week.

Cronk will replace Daly Cherry-Evans, the man that replaced him for games one and two of the series. Cherry-Evans battled a knee injury in the second match and wasn't able to produce his best as the Blues secured a first series win in nine years.

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Cherry-Evans is regarded as one of the game's best halfbacks but if anything, Cronk's absence has shown how influential he has become to the Maroons.

His direct play, calm head and seamless combination with Johnathan Thurston has been missed by the Queenslanders, particularly in some of the tight moments.

Just how much ring rust Cronk would take into the match remains to be seen, although a fit Cherry-Evans will be on the bench and greatly improved from his two outings in the pilot's seat. And he remains highly motivated to prove himself as a major player at Origin level.

Meninga and the selectors will resist the urge for massive change, although injury will force a number of shifts to cover for Matt Scott (facial fracture), Brent Tate (knee) and Chris McQueen (ankle).

Jacob Lillyman impressed off the Maroons bench in game two and will join Nate Myles in the starting side, while Corey Parker will return to the back of the scrum, sending either Matt Gillett or Aidan Guerra back to the bench.

Calls for Brisbane's Josh McGuire to earn his first Origin stripes are likely to be ignored, with Dave Taylor to resume from the bench despite a critical error in game two that helped NSW go on the offensive. Dropping him again could do more harm than good.

Ben Te'o looks destined for European rugby but will get an Origin swansong after some solid service for the Maroons after the past few series. Will Chambers has been lingering around the edges but finally gets his chance in place of Tate, who faces the prospect of retirement after undergoing his fourth knee reconstruction.

The Queensland side will be announced just before midday on Tuesday, with the NSW outfit to be revealed later in the afternoon.